


It always pays to fake a smile

by brilliantbanshee



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Hurt Paul, Slightly graphic description of injury, Whumptober 2020, Worried Marjan, field medicine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:01:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27129631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brilliantbanshee/pseuds/brilliantbanshee
Summary: Whumptober Day 20: Field Medicine---When an accident happens on a call Paul and Marjan are forced to deal with it the best they can until help arrives.
Relationships: Marjan Marwani & Paul Strickland (9-1-1 Lone Star)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 25
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	It always pays to fake a smile

**Author's Note:**

> I figured I should do at least some of whumptober, so here. 
> 
> Title from "Once in Awhile" but Shakey Graves

“There’s too much blood,” she said shakily, “I can’t stop the bleeding.” 

“Yes, you can Marjan,” Paul assured her, voice steady, “just keep pressure on it until help gets here. You’re doing great.” 

Marjan spared him an incredulous look, directing her gaze away from the wound in question for the briefest of moments. “How are you so calm about this?”

Paul shrugged, “I’m in good hands.” 

A hollow laugh was the only response as Marjan lifted the coat she was using as a makeshift compress to examine the wound again. It was still just as bad. She took in a deep, shaky breath, “You’re funny, but wrong. I have absolutely no idea what I am doing.” 

“C’mon, what happened to “cool in the face of fire” Marwani?” 

Marjan scoffed as she pressed her shaking hands harder against to wound, “Yeah, well that’s fire. Fire I can deal with. This…Paul, I don’t know if I can stop the bleeding.” 

Paul looked down at his leg. It was bleeding heavily, that much was evident even with the coat and Marjan’s hands covering it. He swallowed, but kept his voice even, “You don’t need to stop it, you just need to control it until the rest of the team gets here.” 

Unfortunately “here” was at the bottom of a steep, mud slicked hill. They had been looking for someone who had wandered off from the scene of an accident at the edge of a forest and Paul had been unlucky enough to hit a slick spot that had sent him careening down the hill, smashing his leg against a tree on the way down. Now that the blinding pain had faded to an agonizing throb, he was able to get a better look at it and the situation. He stole another glance as Marjan lifted up the coat to check the status of the wound again. It was an ugly, terrifying thing - the skin ripped open revealing muscle and releasing copious blood; the jagged edge of a bone peering out. He looked away as she replaced her compress and increased her pressure, gritting his teach against the fresh pain. 

“Sorry,” she said quietly, no doubt noticing the change in demeanor. He shook his head. 

“It’s not your fault - you’re doing what you need to do.” 

“Still,” she replied, finding his gaze and holding it, “it can’t feel good.” 

He closed his eyes as a wave of dizziness washed over him. He took a deep, measured breathe and opened his eyes again to find Marjan studying him. The grim set of her mouth told him his discomfort hadn’t gone unnoticed, “It’s the blood loss, isn’t it?” 

“Maybe you should see if there’s an update on the rest of the crew,” he suggested, sidestepping her question. 

She gave him a look that said he wasn’t fooling her - as if he ever could - before reaching for her radio with her left hand, increasing the pressure she was applying on his wound with her right. 

He closed his eyes again, breathing deeply. He had absolutely been lying to Marjan; he was in incredible pain and he knew that the blood loss was starting to get to him, but she didn’t need to know that. There was nothing more she could do than what she was already doing; there was no need to make her worry needlessly. 

Disjointed voices sounded on the other side of his eyelids but he didn’t have it in him to focus on them. Just staying conscious was taking every ounce of his strength. He didn’t have much more to give. 

Marjan replaced her radio and Paul opened his eyes. She gave him a tight smile, “they’re on their way. You apparently picked a very inconvenient place to land, it’s taking them a while to get here from where they were. 

“Did they find the person we were looking for?” 

Marjan nodded, “He’s fine, just a little dazed apparently. They’ve got him loaded into the rig for now and they’re coming here. Judd and TK are going to repel down and get you stabilized and get you up to level ground so we can get you some real help.”

Paul chuckled, “I don’t know, I think the service is pretty great here.” 

“Now I  _ know  _ blood loss is making you delirious.” 

Paul laughed outright at that before cutting off abruptly as he jostled his leg. He sucked in a breath as a wave of white-hot pain consumed him. As it faded Marjan’s voice, soothing and scared drifted into his consciousness. Fear was not something heard in Marjan’s voice and Paul hated that he put it there. 

“This isn’t you’re fault,” she said firmly, “accidents happen. I just need you to stay with me, can you do that? I’m going to be even more scared if I’m stuck down here with your unconscious body.”

Vaguely Paul realized he must have said that last bit aloud. He nodded, and she seemed satisfied. Gingerly, she lifted the compress again. This time her expression relaxed, ever so slightly. 

“I think the bleeding has finally slowed. Once they get down here with supplies we should be able to get it wrapped to keep it clean and then you should be all set until we get you to the hospital.” 

“Thanks, Marj,” he said softly, “I don’t know what I would have done…” 

“You would have figured something out,” Marjan interrupted firmly, “you’re one of the smartest people I know. You would have come up with something.”

“I’m glad I didn’t have to. Besides, I think I like it better down here not alone.” 

Marjan smiled at him but whatever she was about to say was interrupted by shouts from the top of the hill. Paul tried to twist his torso around to see better, but when his leg began to twinge he abruptly abandoned that pursuit. Instead he looked to Marjan, whose face had broken out into a wide grin, eyes filled with relief. “They’re here,” she informed him, removing her hands from the compress long enough to wave her arms up at them, making them easier to spot. She laughed breathlessly as they spotted them, more indistinct shouts drifting down to them.

“They’re on their way down,” she told Paul, turning her attention back to him even as he could hear the sounds of equipment being ready as TK and Judd no doubt secured lines to the side of the ladder truck to repel down the hillside, “we’re going to get you out of here. It’s almost over.” 

Paul returned her smile with his own far less stable one. He could still feel the pain radiating up through his body, growing worse at a steady pace. The relief he knew he should feel was there, but the pain was too great for him to fully appreciate the relief of this moment and this rescue. 

He plastered on a smile as he met Marjan’s eyes. It was the least he could do, after everything she had done for him. She reached forward and grabbed his hand and he squeezed it gratefully. 

She was certainly right about one thing, this was almost over. But he knew he was also right in his conviction: he would have never made it through without her. 

**Author's Note:**

> I have at least one more whumptober fic planned, but this wasn't planned so really who knows?
> 
> Come find me on [tumblr](https://brilliantbanshee.tumblr.com/)


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